LEXINGTON, S.C. – The Ohio baseball team (3-1) will continue non-conference play with a three-game road series against Saint Louis (2-1) on Feb. 21-23 at the Lexington County Baseball Stadium in Lexington, S.C.
The Bobcats will begin their battle against the Billikens on Friday, Feb. 21 at 3 p.m. ET. Ohio will continue the series on Saturday, Feb. 22 at 2 p.m. ET and will wrap up the series on Sunday, Feb. 23 at 12 p.m. ET.
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
FRIDAY: RHP sophomore Eamon Horwedel (0-0, 1.93 ERA) (Ann Arbor, Mich.) vs. LHP Trevor Harris (0-0, 1.80 ERA)
SATURDAY: RHP redshirt sophomore Jack Liberatore (1-0, 1.80 ERA) (Greensburg, Pa.) vs. LHP Mark Finkelnburg (1-0, 3.18 ERA)
SUNDAY: TBD vs. RHP Matt Boyer (1-0, 3.60)
#ROBCATS
Rob Smith enters his eighth season as the head coach of the Ohio baseball program in 2020. The Bobcats have won two Mid-American Conference tournament titles and have made two NCAA Championship appearances during his time at Ohio. Ohio had made just two NCAA tournament appearances in the 43 seasons prior to the 2015 campaign.
MANIS EARNED MAC PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Junior LHP Brett Manis (Port Huron, Mich.) earned Mid-American Conference Co-Pitcher of the Week honors on Tuesday (Feb. 18) for his efforts in Ohio's series win over North Alabama.
Manis picked up two saves over the road series against North Alabama last weekend. Manis pitched 3.0 innings and struck out seven batters without allowing a run to score in two appearances.
Last season, Manis was the MAC in saves last season with seven. Manis had a team-best 3.00 ERA and struck out 64 batters while only walking 13 in 2019. Manis earned MAC co-pitcher of the week after tossing 4.1 innings and striking out seven batters in Ohio's MAC Tournament spot clinching win against Western Michigan. In the MAC Tournament, Manis tossed a career-high 6.0 innings of relief in Ohio's 17-inning win over Miami.
FIRST CAREER HOME RUNS IN SERIES WIN
Ohio took the first series of the year at North Alabama when OU won three-of-four.
Redshirt sophomore 1B Spencer Harbert (Middletown, Del.) hit his first career home run for Ohio in the top of the eighth inning in the season opener against North Alabama On Feb. 14. He ended the day 1-of-4 with one RBI and one run scored.
Redshirt junior C Devonte Washington (Twinsburg, Ohio) hit his first career home run in the second inning of the third game in the road-series. Washington finished the series with two RBI, a home run and a walk.
OHIO PICKED SIXTH IN THE MAC
The Ohio Baseball team has been selected sixth in the 2020 Mid-American Conference Baseball Preseason Poll, the league announced on Wednesday (Feb. 12). The poll was voted on by the league's 11 head coaches.
The Bobcats earned 67 points and OU was selected in front of Western Michigan (57), Eastern Michigan (38), Toledo (33), Bowling Green (30) and Akron (20).
Selected in front of Ohio was Central Michigan (109), Kent State (106), Ball State (105), Miami (93) and Northern Illinois (68). CMU and BSU each earned three votes to win the regular season, Miami and KSU each had two and NIU earned one. Kent State earned six votes to win the MAC Tournament, Miami earned two and Ball State, Central Michigan and Northern Illinois each had one vote to win.
MORMANN RETURNS
Former Ohio baseball volunteer assistant coach Mitch Mormann returned as Ohio's recruiting coordinator and pitching coach. Mormann joins Ohio from South Dakota State, where he was the assistant coach and head pitching coach. While at SDSU, Mormann coached two First-Team All-Summit League closers, three Second Team All-Summit League pitchers, two Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-Americans and had six players named to the All-Summit League Academic Team. Mormann had one pitcher picked in the MLB Draft while the team led the Summit League in pitching in 2019.
Mormann was a key member of the Ohio coaching staff in 2015, when the Bobcats won the 2015 Mid-American Conference championship and made an NCAA Regional. As the volunteer assistant coach, Mormann helped put three pitchers on the 2015 MAC All-Tournament Team and had one pitcher – Logan Cozart – selected in the MLB Draft by Colorado.
SECOND-TEAM ALL-MAC IS BACK
Junior RHP Edward Kutt IV was second-team All-MAC and returns to Ohio. Kutt IV appeared in 23 games on the mound last season and made eight starts. Kutt IV logged 76.2 innings pitched with a 3.64 ERA and 67 strikeouts. Kutt IV a career-high eight batters against Bowling Green in 6.0 innings and earned his only save of the season to send Ohio to the MAC Tournament in OU's win over Western Michigan on the last day of the season.
NEWCOMERS
Ohio will welcome 10 newcomers to the team in 2020. Five true freshman – RHP Parker Maddox (Columbus, Ind.), C/INF Alex Finney (Oxford, Mich.), OF Trenton Neuer (Nicholasville, Ky.), INF Trent Belli (Dublin, Ohio) and RHP/Util Andrew Russell(Champion, Ohio) – will join the team. Four Bobcats - Sophomore LHP Xavier Ludwig (Florence, Ky.) from Cincinnati-Clermont, graduate transfer Danny Brackman (Tampa, Fla.) from Denison, redshirt sophomore INF/OF Spencer Harbert(Middletown, Del.) from Kentucky and junior OF Isaiah Peterson (Lincoln, Neb.) from Iowa Western – transferred to Ohio. Redshirt freshman Xavier Haendiges (Salem, Ind.) sat out last season.
ON SAINT LOUIS
Saint Louis (2-1) defeated UT Martin in the season-opening weekend series last week. The Billikens were predicted to finish sixth in the 2020 Atlantic 10 Conference after finishing with a 25-30 record last season. Two members of the 2019 All-Conference first team, Jake Garella and Corrigan Bartlett, headline the list of returners. The seniors led the Billikens last season, hitting .330 and .310 respectively.
UP NEXT
Ohio takes on Southeast Missouri State in a four-game road-series on Feb. 28 – March 1.
#BleedGreen
